4 replies to this topic

[Darwins Dog]

So with the quirks to the Cicada, one of the major differences between the 2A and 2B (the number of module slots) is gone. This leaves one with a choice of a mech with 6 torso mounted energy weapons, and one with 1 torso and 4 arm mounted weapons.

So here's the breakdown:
CDA-2A: one more weapon, and they are better protected. You can also strip up to 1.5 tons of armor (or about 1 with FF) from the arms.

CDA-2B: One less weapon, and 4 of them are more vulnerable*. The tonnage saved from dropping the weapon now has to be put into protecting the arms. The arm mounted weapons now have greater range of motion, which is useful for fighting on slopes.

* - The Cicada's arms are really small, and don't get destroyed all that often. Even when I strip the armor off them in my 2A or 3M, I rarely lose them. They have less armor, but a smaller profile.

What are your opinions? For me, I think that the 2B is becoming the better choice due to all of the big maps with lots of elevation changes. It can get hard to keep your torso weapons on target in that case.

[Culler]

If all 5 were arm-mounted it would be a bigger deal, but you only have 4 arm-mounted and 1 torso mount vs. 6 torso mounts. I like to strip the armor from the arms and use 6 mediums lasers in my 2A, and I don't really miss the arm mounts of my 2B. Rarely do I need to hit something that high up and for some reason be unable to just move myself and be at an appropriate angle in a second or two. That was before alpine however, which admittedly has more of those situations due to people fighting on hilltops where arms are handy.

[TruePoindexter]

The difference is almost negligible because the Cicada doesn't have arm swing (lateral arm movement). The only real benefit of the arm mounted energy weapons is that they can pitch further up and down than the torso ones can. The 2A and 2B have such a wide range of torso movement it's hardly an issue:

When I was running Cicada's I had a 2A, 2B, and 3M. Now that the X5 is here I would probably have dropped the 2B for the X5.

[Trauglodyte]

I like the 2B. But I run mine with 4 Md Lasers and 1 ER Lrg Laser. There is nothing more frustrating than being in a situationg where your target is higher up then your torso will allow thus putting you in a situation of 0 DPS. Plus, I'd go on to say that in today's game, losing your arms in the Cicada is hardly a concern as everyone is driving ballistic heavy mechs. You're much more likely to lose a torso than an arm so that adds the benefit of having movable arm mounted weapons.

As to the 2A, I also like it. When I run it, I usually go 4-5 Md Lasers and 1 PPC. So, when comparing the two mechs, it is really more of a "how do I feel right now" sort of situation and less of one where I worry about the slight tactical advantages that I may or may not get out of the variants.

[Deathlike]

There is good reason why the Jenner (especially the F variant) can be more devastating than the Raven (well vs the 3L to a smaller extent). Of course, Jenners have JJs, which makes the arm-mounted weaponry more pronounced... whereas the Cic-2B doesn't really benefit from (there is supposedly a Cicada variant that has JJs, but that's not released yet).